May 21st, 2004 - 12:56 AM
fixed gear: first impressions
"why would you want to pedal all the time", "isn't that bad for your knees", "that sounds dangerous" No these aren't the responses I get from people who notice that my garbage heap Panasonic is now a fixed gear bike. It is my wife questioning WHY I would do such a silly thing... and that is a good question
Why indeed... I was having sooo much fun in my garbage can gray Panasonic Sport 1000 (converted to single speed) why did I go and ruin it by linking the pedals to the rear tire with an inflexible and unforgiving chain... just because!
seriously, I had seen people riding fixed-gear, it looked cool
I had read articles about the spiritual nature of it its simplicity,,, that seemed cool
I had heard about the benefits that training on a fixed gear can provide... that sounded great
and I knew it had the promise of allowing me to "start all over"... at the beginning... of learning how to ride a bike...
I was right. But it certainly isn't all good. 2 collisions with taxi cabs (both my fault and both ME running into them) and several near launches as I sprinted away from a light expecting to coast and was nearly catapulted from my bike (luckily I had clips and strap so only my knee took the damage).
So now I am learning how to ride a bike. Bunnyhopping seems like a thing of the past, track stands... not anymore... EVERYTHING is different... I am not in control of my feet... inertia is...
the #1 benefit is that foot/tire overlap isn't nearly as much of a problem since my feet are almost NEVER in my favored positions (left foot forward) Actually there are many benefits to balance the frustrations: BENEFITS:
use brakes less, so hand position is no longer dictated by whether I'll need to slow down soon.
better workout... HOLY $h!+ is it... I am sleeping like a mugging victim...
hills (up) are a welcome relief as no braking is req'd
greater awareness of energy/speed expenditure and retention
new muscles (soreness where there were no muscles before)
coolness factor (not sure why but pedaling ALL THE TIME is cooler)
the simple excitement of riding a bike (that akward scary feeling I had when I first took off on my neighbors little yellow bike w/out training wheels)
improves your cadence ("spin")
FRUSTRATIONS:
pedals are ALWAYS moving
that thing is dangerous... you could easily lose a finger...
you can NEVER coast
NYC drivers
you really have to use your hands and the seat to support your wieght much more than a freewheel bike...
moving the bike around while you aren't on it (or carrying it) made difficult be constantly moving pedals and drivetrain
feet are ALWAYS moving
extended high-speed sections (down bridges) very "interesting"
all in all I like riding the fixed-gear, and I really like what it is doing for my riding. But as for my primary means of locomotion... the jury is still out... I am open to becoming a "fixie" or whatever they are called but first I have to learn to bunny hop while still pedaling.
seriously, I had seen people riding fixed-gear, it looked cool
I had read articles about the spiritual nature of it its simplicity,,, that seemed cool
I had heard about the benefits that training on a fixed gear can provide... that sounded great
and I knew it had the promise of allowing me to "start all over"... at the beginning... of learning how to ride a bike...
I was right. But it certainly isn't all good. 2 collisions with taxi cabs (both my fault and both ME running into them) and several near launches as I sprinted away from a light expecting to coast and was nearly catapulted from my bike (luckily I had clips and strap so only my knee took the damage).
So now I am learning how to ride a bike. Bunnyhopping seems like a thing of the past, track stands... not anymore... EVERYTHING is different... I am not in control of my feet... inertia is...
the #1 benefit is that foot/tire overlap isn't nearly as much of a problem since my feet are almost NEVER in my favored positions (left foot forward) Actually there are many benefits to balance the frustrations: BENEFITS:
FRUSTRATIONS:
all in all I like riding the fixed-gear, and I really like what it is doing for my riding. But as for my primary means of locomotion... the jury is still out... I am open to becoming a "fixie" or whatever they are called but first I have to learn to bunny hop while still pedaling.